Shepard Fairey AP print
Urban Roots is a timely, moving and inspiring film about Detroit’s Urban Farming Revival that speaks to a nation grappling with collapsed industrial towns and the need to forge a sustainable and prosperous future… the next Green Door Film Society Screening at Greens N Grains, Thursday, December 29.
The city of Detroit has been unearthing its Urban Roots in a massive reclamation effort, but it’s not old homes and buildings that are being restored. It’s farm land in the heart of the city! Produced by Leila Conners (The 11th Hour) and Mathew Schmid, directed by Mark MacInnis, Urban Roots follows the urban farming phenomenon in a city that is suffering from economic stagnation and decay.
“After making The 11th Hour, it was clear to me that the oft-quoted saying, ‘think globally, act locally‘ was the key to solving our environmental crisis,” says producer Leila Conners. “When the story of the urban farmers in Detroit was brought to us, we knew that what they were doing – acting decisively and caring for themselves and their community – basically healing themselves and their neighborhoods through growing food, was that kind of local action that can make the world a better place so we committed to bringing their story to the world.”
“All my life, I watched the decline of the city, and suffering with it were all of us who’d hitched our hopes to the great American industrial dream of making cars for the greatest country on earth,” says director Mark MacInnis. “I never got to see Detroit in its true heyday. But I knew enough to know what it meant to lose that.”
“Wherever there is grass, there is a chance to put food on the table. And where there is a chance to put food on the table, there’s a chance for a new start. Now, all around the city of Detroit, a growing movement of urban farmers is changing the way people think about food—and life in the “D”. It took men like Henry Ford, William Durant, and Lee Iacocca to build this city, but it’s taken a bunch of strong willed self-taught urban farmers to save it.”
“Urban Roots is an inspiring film about the emergence of urban farming in Detroit; it shows what’s possible after the collapse of the industrial era and how we begin building a sustainable future for all.” – Leonardo DiCaprio
Urban Roots Trailer from Tree Media on Vimeo.
Greens N Grains Deli hosts a natural and organic dinner special each evening before the Film Society screening. Enjoy a delicious soup specialty, salad, a fresh baked roll and a cup of tea for $7.50, available from 6 pm on. The Film Society screenings take place at 7 pm and there is no charge for membership but seating at screenings is limited to 28 people. Dinner and film reservations are requested. RSVP: 920.868.9999.
Greens N Grains Natural Foods and Deli is open daily from 10 am – 5 pm – except on movie nights when they will remain open until 9 pm – in downtown Egg Harbor at 7821 Hwy 42, and can be reached at 920.868.9999 or by email at info@greens-n-grains.com. The store’s Website features news and special monthly discount flyers at Greens-N-Grains.com.
